1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and structure for maintaining a continuous thermally conductive path between a heat-generating module and a heatsink when both the module and the heatsink are under mechanical tension.
2. Related Art
An electronic package may comprise a chip-containing module that is coupled to a heatsink by an interfacing thermal pad such that both the module and the heatsink are under tension by a mechanical structure of the electronic package. If the tension deflects the module and the heatsink away from the thermal pad, then a thermally conductive path between the module and the heatsink will be severed and heat generated by the chip will not be effectively dissipated. As a consequence, the chip would overheat and have degraded performance or suffer damage.
For a chip subject to the mechanical structure of an electronic package, there is a need to effectively dissipate the heat that the chip generates.
The present invention provides a structure, comprising:
a heatsink under a first tension, said first tension causing a deflection of a surface of the heatsink, said surface of the heatsink having a first shape when the heatsink is not under said first tension and a second shape when the heatsink is under said first tension;
a module under a second tension, said second tension causing a deflection of a surface of the module, said surface of the module having a first shape when the module is not under said second tension and a second shape when the module is under said second tension; and
a thermally conductive pad having: a first surface in substantial thermal contact with the surface of the heatsink, and a second surface in substantial thermal contact with the surface of the module.
The present invention provides a method of forming a structure, comprising:
providing a module having a surface of a first shape, a heatsink having a surface of a first shape, and a thermally conductive pad;
disposing the thermally conductive pad between the module and the heatsink, wherein a first surface of the thermally conductive pad is in contact with the surface of the heatsink, and wherein a second surface of the thermally conductive pad is in contact with the surface of the module;
subjecting the heatsink to a first tension, said first tension deflecting the surface of the heatsink, said surface of the heatsink having a second shape under said first tension, said surface of the heatsink in substantial thermal contact with said first surface of the thermally conductive pad; and
subjecting the module to a second tension, said second tension deflecting the surface of the module, said surface of the module having a second shape under said second tension, said surface of the module in substantial thermal contact with said second surface of the thermally conductive pad.
For a chip subject to the mechanical structure of an electronic package, the present invention provides a method and structure for effectively dissipating the heat that the chip generates.